04/10/2015

Undersea Cables String Together the Global Internet

17:22 minutes

A screenshot of the interactive Submarine Cable Map, last updated on March 29, 2015, showing active and planned submarine cable systems and their landing stations, according to the Global Bandwidth Research Service.
A screenshot of the interactive Submarine Cable Map, last updated on March 29, 2015, showing active and planned submarine cable systems and their landing stations, according to the Global Bandwidth Research Service.

Ninety-nine percent of the data zipping between continents travels not via satellite, but through cables strung along the bottom of the world’s oceans. In her new book The Undersea Network, New York University professor Nicole Starosielski explores this hidden side of the Internet, and describes the system’s history, its technological innovations, and its vulnerabilities. Read an excerpt from her book here.

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Nicole Starosielski

Nicole Starosielski is assistant professor of media, culture, and communication at New York University.

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